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Case Studies
Proactive
Media Relations: Tobacco Free Coalition of Oregon
It seems like a long time ago, but it has been less
than a decade since tobacco executives testified to
Congress insisting they didn't know nicotine is addictive.
In the mid- and late-1990s, Dan was on the team that
exposed big tobacco on the West Coast. Working on behalf
of the Tobacco Free Coalition of Oregon, Dan helped
design and implement a statewide media relations campaign
designed to increase understanding of the tobacco industry
youth-focused marketing strategies and to build public
support for tough anti-smoking laws. The campaign generated
millions of impressions, rallied Oregonians at the local
level, gave them resources to organize grassroots coalitions,
engaged legislators and ultimately helped persuade big
tobacco to change its ways forever. The program was
recognized with the 1997 PRSA Silver Anvil Award of
Excellence in Public Affairs.
Media Training: Healthy
Forests Alliance
In the late-1990s, the Oregon
forest industry faced its biggest challenge ever. Activists
delivered enough signatures to get their initiative
on the November ballot. Portrayed as a clearcutting
ban, it actually threatened to end virtually all timber
harvesting in Oregon and cost the state approximately
65,000 jobs. Working on behalf of the Healthy Forests
Alliance, Dan developed a media and speaker training
curriculum designed to quickly teach an army of local
spokespersons how to effectively communicate the campaign's
key messages. Ultimately, more than 200 small woodland
owners and foresters were trained, many of whom hosted
media tours of their forests to illustrate the devastating
effect the ballot measure would have if it were to pass.
With the help of this grassroots army, 81 percent of
Oregon voters rejected the measure and public opinion
polls showed resurgence in respect for the forest industry.
The program was recognized with the 1999 PRSA Silver
Anvil Award of Excellence in public affairs.
Crisis Management: Client
Name Withheld
Sometimes, what transpires behind
the scenes can minimize the severity of a crisis or
even snuff it out. A case in point was Dan's work on
behalf of one company caught in the tidal wave of media
attention during the weeks leading up to and immediately
following the demise of Enron. The company, a supplier
to Enron, quickly reduced staff once it was clear that
it would never recoup millions of dollars the energy
giant owed. In the weeks and months that followed, dozens
of angry former employees banded together in an aggressive
effort to pressure the company into bowing to their
monetary demands. They picketed the parking lot, confronted
executives and concocted wild stories to get the attention
of journalists. Dan helped the company tighten security,
developed clear messages, drafted internal memos to
staff and convinced journalists, including producers
for Dateline NBC, that the story wasn't worth pursuing.
As a result, the client company was able to weather
the storm and survives to this day.
Issues Management: Oregon
Coast Aquarium
In 1997, the Free Willy/Keiko
Foundation, owner of the whale that starred in the movie
"Free Willy," staged a hostile takeover that
threatened the stability and reputation of the Oregon
Coast Aquarium. After months of working unsuccessfully
to resolve the matter behind the scenes, Dan helped
the Aquarium launch an aggressive public relations campaign
to convince the public that Keiko's health was being
endangered while also enhancing the Aquarium's reputation
as a responsible and caring caretaker. Dan and his team
developed a plan to call for an independent evaluation
of Keiko's health, rally third parties to endorse the
proposal and simultaneously communicate the Aquarium's
vision for a future beyond Keiko. The program resulted
in an independent evaluation of Keiko's health, increased
public awareness of other Aquarium exhibits and a higher
bond rating for a $14 million expansion of the facility.
The effort was awarded the 1999 PRSA Silver Anvil for
crisis communications and the 1999 Creativity in Public
Relations Award for issues management.
Product Recall: Cadet
Manufacturing
When a company mishandles something
as sensitive as a product recall, the damage to its
reputation can threaten the organization's existence.
Cadet Manufacturing, a maker of electric heaters, is
a case in point. It was sued by the Consumer Products
Safety Commission (CPSC) for allegedly failing to live
up to the terms of a product recall. Dan served on the
team that helped Cadet's new management focus on solutions
rather than on their mounting problems. Dan and the
team developed the necessary infrastructure to handle
a flood of incoming calls from consumers, worked to
repair relationships with the CPSC, media trained executives
to present a positive and confident image and communicated
with workers to ensure they would be the first to know
of the company's challenges. As a result of the effort,
Cadet successfully reached a new agreement with the
CPSC to recall 1.9 million electric heaters while maintaining
relationships with suppliers and consumers.
Environmental Crisis Management:
Name of Company Withheld
The belief that a crisis can happen to any organization
at any time takes on new meaning when your company is
accused in television reports of illegally dumping nuclear
waste in Eastern Europe. The accused company had no
way of producing nuclear waste, but the toxic substance
had been found in a Russian warehouse in barrels bearing
the company's logo. Dan was on the international team
charged with getting to the root of the allegations
and managing the crisis response. The team quickly learned
that the company was the victim of an incredible conspiracy
by Eastern European organized crime groups to illegally
smuggle nuclear waste to Russia. The client's barrels
had been stolen in order to mask the cargo. Rather than
playing the part of the victim, however, the team's
approach was to aggressively communicate the company's
outrage and concern and assures public officials that
its security procedures would be strengthened. As a
result, German television reports included the company's
messages and later coverage on ABC's 20/20 did not mention
the company.
Corporate
Restructuring: US Oncology
US Oncology, the nation's largest provider of cancer
care services, is a health care powerhouse with a visionary
executive team. In 2001, the team put together plans
to transition from being a company that delivered care
to patients to being a company that delivered cancer
care services to oncologists. For US Oncology's 8,000
employees, such a change would be dramatic and, potentially,
unsettling. However, with hundreds of thousands of patients
depending on them and Wall Street carefully scrutinizing
the Company's performance, it was important that employees
embrace the change. The solution? A system-wide "open
door policy" designed to encourage frank face-to-face
communication for any employee who sought information.
Of course, the company's leadership wasn't able to be
everywhere at once, but Dan worked closely with the
corporate communications team to feature corporate leadership
as message trainers, which empowered the Company's front
line managers to quickly and effectively communicate
with the rank and file. After being briefed by their
super-charged local management, it was business as usual
for employees throughout the US Oncology network. Wall
Street was impressed, too. Six months after the announcement,
US Oncology's stock was up nearly 50 percent from pre-announcement
levels in response to gains in productivity, revenues
and earnings.
Environmental
Risk Communication: SEH-America
In 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began
requiring users of certain chemicals to disclose to
their surrounding communities what could conceivably
happen in the event of a worst-case disaster. One of
the companies required to submit a Risk Management Plan
(RMP) was SEH-America, a maker of silicon wafers. Dan
led the team that worked to establish relationships
and lessen anxieties about SEH's RMP. Research revealed
that relatively few neighbors knew of SEH and they didn't
like a potential industrial hazard in their community.
With Dan's help, SEH worked closely with the local fire
service and the Local Emergency Planning Commission
to launch a program that proactively communicated with
employees, health officials, local schools, public officials
and neighborhood organizations - and established mechanisms
to enable feedback. Ultimately, SEH succeeded in disclosing
the potential risks of its use of chemicals while quelling
fears about its operations by stressing the Company's
commitment to safety. The company also has recognized
that building meaningful relationships with its neighbors
is an ongoing priority.
Community Relations:
Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland
In the late 1990s, the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area experienced explosive growth. Its population was nearing 1.4 million and regional planners projected the population would expand by 650,000 in the 20 years to come. Confined by the region’s unique Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), housing prices spiraled, treasured open spaces within the UGB were targeted for development and traffic worsened.
Dan and his team helped the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Portland establish and strengthen its relationship with a number of key communities, including realtors, first-time homebuyers and local public officials.
Using an aggressive strategy that included direct mail, speaking engagements and proactive media relations, they launched a grassroots campaign to engage people priced out of the housing market and repositioned the UGB expansion issue from being about environmental preservations to being about housing affordability.
The communications program succeeded in raising public awareness of the tradeoffs associated with the UGB, increased public support for expanding the Boundary and Persuaded the regional government, Metro, to approve the first UGB expansion wince it was established in 1979.
Additionally, the campaign was recognized with numerous public relations awards, including the PRSA Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation and the Creativity in Public Relations Award of Excellence.
Media Relations//Op-Ed Writing:
Pinchak & Associates
In the fall of 2003, the true impact of the Patriot Act began reverberating through the economy of Houston. Although most applauded its strict new controls on immigration, few understood its potential negative repercussions. DPK Public Relations began examining opportunities to establish Pinchak & Associates – a practice concentrating on business immigration law – as an expert in navigating and avoiding the pitfalls of the law’s finer points.
Research indicated that no person or organization had stepped forward as a strong voice on behalf of immigrants or employers. Therefore, we established a “rapid response” approach to capitalize on news coverage regarding the Patriot Act.
When The Houston Chronicle featured the story of how the head of Houston’s two lung transplant programs had struggled to avoid deportation, we determined this was an opportunity for Pinchak. We quickly worked to develop and submit an op-ed. We then negotiated with the editorial page editor and secured publication in the Sunday edition.
The op-ed succeeded in securing positive media coverage in Houston that portrayed Ann Pinchak as a strong presence in the discussions surrounding immigration law. The circulation of the Sunday Houston Chronicle is 740,000 and did an effective job of reaching our core target of Houston business leaders. The op-ed was also honored with the 2004 PRSA Excalibur for Media Relations – Op-Ed / Byline Article.
Product Launch/Issues Management:
Breuners Home Furnishings Corporation
When Breuners Home Furnishings Corporation agreed to be the nation’s largest retailer of Martha Stewart Signature™ Furniture with Bernhardt, the Lancaster, Pennsylvania furniture retailer had no way of knowing the high-risk gamble it would represent.
By the time Dan and his team were engaged to maximize the positive exposure of the launch while managing potential negatives, Ms. Stewart was the focus of a criminal investigation that had sullied her personal and professional reputation. As we neared the introduction, it was clear that an indictment could come at any time.
To avoid trouble, we skirted national outlets in favor of local daily and weekly newspapers in towns where Breuner’s stores are located. We arranged one-on-one interviews with lifestyle editors who did not object to our strict guidelines prohibiting questions about anything not directly related to the furniture.
We also executed a grassroots strategy that leveraged Ms. Stewart’s passionate base of devoted fans. Our invitation-only celebration gave hundreds an opportunity to meet Martha and enjoy a presentation detailing her interior design philosophy. We carefully selected a small number of journalists to document the event as well.
As a result, media coverage was friendly and focused on the furniture, not the scandal. Despite images of Ms. Stewart being led from her office in handcuffs weeks later, the introduction of Martha Stewart Signature Furniture was the most successful in the history of Brueners Home Furnishings. Sales exceeded even pre-scandal expectations.
Organizational Launch:
American Red Cross
An estimated 10,000 Americans die unnecessarily from blood-related diseases every year, but the scientific community has made enormous strides to identify new
life-giving treatments. For instance, the blood left in the umbilical cord after a baby is born has been found to be a rich source of stem cells, which are used in transplantation to cure certain diseases, incuding leukemia and sickle cell anemia.
Working on behalf of the American Red Cross, Dan led the team responsible for launching a nationwide system of cord blood banks.
The team developed easy-to-understand media materials and arranged educational briefings with the people research showed moms-to-be would trust the most on childbirth issues: doctors, nurses and Lamaze instructors. We also coordinated a launch event that gained attention in newspapers across the country.
The successful campaign attracted large numbers of donors and was emulated throughout America. It also helped secure Paul Allen, whose $4 million donation made the system possible, a slot on Worth magazine’s list of top philanthropists.
Media Relations:
Choice! Energy
Choice! Energy, a leading institutional broker of natural gas and electricity, had grown slowly and steadily by being opportunistic and emphasizing niche expertise. In 2002, Choice! engaged Dan Keeney’s services to implement public relations strategies to increase visibility and support its entrance into a new marketplace: providing its energy brokerage expertise to commercial and industrial end users in Texas’ deregulated market.
We positioned the company as an advocate for free, open and competitive energy markets, developing an article that took issue with the conventional wisdom that California’s energy crisis had killed competition. Editors and journalists ate it up.
We secured placement of the article in business and trade publications, including Energy, Power & Gas Marketing and World Energy. Our efforts also earned blanket coverage on Houston-area television and radio.
The media buzz established credibility for the new venture and helped earn Loya the honor of Male Entrepreneur of the Year from the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as well as becoming a finalist for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“Dan increased our visibility and earned third party endorsements from business and trade publications,” said Sean Wright, vice president – operations. “Ultimately, his efforts helped our sales team by educating prospects and establishing our credibility among those who previously had never heard of us.”
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